SCOTLAND: Fees for English students is legal - EU

The Scottish government's decision to allow universities to charge English students up to £9,000 (US$14,000) a year in fees while Scots study free of charge will not be challenged by the European Union, it has emerged. Three English students are currently taking legal action against the Scottish government amid claims that charges for tuition fees breach their human rights, writes Chris Marshall for The Scotsman.

The row has intensified after Edinburgh University said it would charge English, Welsh and Northern Irish students £36,000 (US$57,000) for a four-year course, the most expensive degree in the UK. Scots and other EU students, meanwhile, remain exempt from the fees, which were introduced after the UK government allowed English universities to charge more.

Dennis Abbott, spokesman for EU Education Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, said: "There is no violation of EU law. The Scottish practice in relation to students from other parts of the UK is a matter of policy internal to the UK and outside the scope of EU law."
Full report on the News Scotsman site